Birthdays
by booksplease
Summary: Short scenes centering around different characters' birthdays! Fluff and angst as expected. (I would REALLY appreciate reviews. Still new to this site and fandom.)
1. Chapter 1

"I don't recall you making this big of a fuss when you turned thirty, and that was, objectively speaking, a much more important birthday." Daine put her hands on her hips and regarded her lover. "What is going on with you?"

Numair groaned and buried his head under a pillow, muffling his words. "I'm dying of old age."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I ever anything else?"

Daine tugged halfheartedly at the covers of the bed. "Do you want a bath or not? The water's getting cold, and I'm not warming it up."

Numair's head poked out from under the pillow. "You could come back here and warm me up."

Daine just rolled her eyes. "You're an impossible man." She ripped the covers off in one fluid motion and bent to kiss him. "It's such a shame you're irresistible, too. Now, get up!"

"You're incredibly cruel."

She sighed. "Look at it this way. It's your birthday today, and everyone's very happy for you. Wouldn't it be a shame if you were to go down to breakfast – late, I might add, since we're going to be – and everyone was there to wish you a happy birthday but you didn't look your best? Now get out of bed!"

Numair groaned. "I will never look my best again. It doesn't matter whether or not I wash my hair this morning and wear my shirt just so. Nothing I do will restore my youth."

Daine hid her grin with her hand. "I don't suppose you could magic a glamour or something, to make yourself look younger?"

The look he gave her was enough to prove that he was serious. "Oh, darling," she said, sitting down on the bed next to him, "I was kidding! You are being utterly ridiculous. You are as irresistible as ever."

A large hand wrapped itself around Daine's arm, and Numair's eyes found hers. "Daine," he said, "how old are you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not this again!"

"Just say it."

"I'm seventeen. But Numair, by all the gods, it _doesn't matter._ "

Numair sat up and traced her cheek gently. "I know you're saying that, and it is the great joy of my life that I can hear you and believe you to mean it. And you know that I would not want to change anything about you, Sweetling, or about us, but gods curse it, I am getting old!"

Daine scooted a little closer, reached over to run her fingers down the side of his face, then stopped, noticing something. Her fingers delved into his thick hair, and she brought her face closer to Numair's. He regarded her for one wary moment as she seemed to be trying not to laugh before she spoke.

"Darling, is that a grey hair?"

He scowled. "Another one? I got the one I found last night!"

This time Daine didn't try to stop her giggling. "Is that what this is all about? Your _hair_?"

Numair avoided eye contact. She sighed and stretched up to kiss his temple tenderly. "Numair. It's your birthday. You are, in fact, getting older – as we all are – but that is not a bad thing! One grey hair doesn't mean anything."

"You forget, Sweet, that it's two grey hairs, now, and it does mean something – the end of an era."

Daine just shook her head. "I swear, sometimes I think you're as vain as a cat. 'The end of an era' indeed. What era was that? The one where you could have any woman you wanted for the asking?"

Numair blinked. "That's not what I meant. You know that I only care about one woman, and I have her sitting right in front of me." He trailed his fingertips up the inside of her arm and raised hopeful eyes to her. "But she could come back to bed, if she really wanted to help me celebrate my birthday."

"Numair, I _just_ got dressed!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I can remedy that."

But Daine was already wriggling out of her shirt. "You're going to have to explain why we're late."

Numair kissed her neck and grinned at her, eyes dancing. "As far as I'm concerned, Sweet, we don't have to leave bed all day. After all, I'm a grey-haired old man now."


	2. Chapter 2

On the day Daine turned sixteen, she woke up to the yowls of a cat with a broken paw outside her room. After healing the tabby, who had gotten her paw caught in a door when an inobservant human closed it, Daine was ready to begin the rest of her day. It was the coldest and bitterest month in Tortall, so she wouldn't be able to spend too much time outside, but she would at least make it to the stables to visit Cloud.

But first, breakfast. It wasn't until Daine saw several of her friends clustered expectantly around a table that she remembered it was her birthday.

"Oh no," she said, sitting down across from Numair in a space that had obviously been left for her. "Should I be worried?"

The mage grinned. "Of course not, Daine. We have only the best intentions." He reached behind her ear, touching her hair briefly, and then pulled out a roll. "Eat up."

From one side, Thayet handed her butter and a bowl of fruit. "You'd best do as he says," advised the queen. "You have a big day ahead of you."

"This is ridiculous," said Daine. "I mean, thank you very much, and I so appreciate that you're trying to help me enjoy my birthday, but it's really not important."

"Daine, you're turning sixteen," said Numair. "That's an important age. It means you're all grown up." He adopted a mournful expression. "In all likelihood, you will soon leave us all for some handsome, undeserving young man, and we will be left to mourn the young woman we once knew."

Daine looked at him sharply. He was joking, of course, but there was a mournfulness in his eyes, and his smile was a trifle forced. She put extra heat into her words. "Numair, don't be ridiculous. I would never leave you. Any of you. And besides, it's not as though I'm exactly running into eligible men anywhere."

"You probably meet young knights when you're fighting immortals," offered Thayet.

Daine snorted. "As if any knight would take a bastard Gallan girl for his wife!"

Numair cut at a piece of fruit on his plate with considerable force, and his knife clanged against the side of the plate. "You forget, Daine, that you're the famed wildmage now, friend of the crown. There are many who would see it as a very advantageous match."

"Besides," offered Onua, to one side of Numair, "you don't have to _marry_ them to reap the benefits of all those years of training at the palace."

The tall mage choked. In the time that it took for him to gulp his water and glare at his K'miri friend, the subject was lost.

Thayet stood up. "I have to go, but Daine, I feel obliged to warn you that Jon and I want to throw you a little party tonight." She held up her hand to stop Daine's protests before they could begin. "Nothing too fancy, I promise. No ambassadors or conservatives, just everyone you know and a few people you should know."

"Including handsome knights and squires?" inquired Onua.

The queen's mouth twitched. "Including a few very sweet knights and squires, yes. It'll just be dinner and conversation and dancing, though I am going to insist you dress up. Come to my rooms at five and we can get that all settled."

Daine tried to look grateful. "Thank you, Thayet."

"You'll have fun," said Thayet, "I promise. It won't be nearly as torturous as you're telling yourself it will be. Honestly," she muttered to herself, "I let Alanna and Onua get to you far too early. You'll learn to like all this social stuff yet." She left before Daine could argue.

After practicing all afternoon, Daine should have been tired. Instead she was exhilarated. It was just so wonderful to be back at the palace after traveling so much. A real birthday wish come true. When Numair called to her, she tried not to hear him.

"We should probably go back inside," he said to the shaggy brown bear in front of him. "You need to meet the queen, and I, as you constantly point out, take longer to get ready than you for some occasions. And I plan on a very hot bath to get this blasted cold out of my bones."

The bear's snout morphed into a mouth, from which a vaguely Daine-like voice emerged. "You go ahead. I want to make snow princesses."

The mage watched as his student, still in the shape of a furry brown bear, laid on her back and pushed her shaggy limbs against the snow to form a rough approximation of the shape of the princess. She stood on two legs and daintily stepped over the edge of the snow to admire her work. Numair, near the head of the figure, bent down.

"Allow me," he said, gently tracing the outline of a crown above the head of the figure. "It's not a snow princess without a crown." He smiled at Daine, who had now transformed herself into a thick-coated grey cat. "Come on now. I'll drop your clothes off in your rooms and then I'll see you at your party."

The cat at his side nodded. They reached the entrance to Daine's rooms, and Numair laid her folded clothes on a table and turned to go. "Oh," he said, pausing at the door. "Um, I was wondering if you wanted me to come and walk you to the party?"

Daine changed behind Numair. She knew he wouldn't turn around, not that it really mattered. She didn't notice the red creeping up the back of his neck as he heard her reach for her loincloth. "That would be wonderful," she said. "Thank you so much for thinking of it. I would hate to enter the party alone, and it'll be so much better with Tortall's famous black-robe mage on one arm!" She did love to tease him about his status in court.

"Very well," he said. "I'll see you at half past six, then." He closed the door behind him, so Daine's eyes didn't follow him as he turned down the hallway and cursed his stupidity by the name of every god he knew.

Daine arrived at Thayet's rooms very reluctantly and a little late. The queen shook her head in mock disapproval when she opened the door for the wild mage.

"I see you've been practicing with Numair in the woods today." Thayet removed a small twig from Daine's curls. "No matter, I rather expected it. There's a hot bath waiting in my bathing room. Take your time because I think you'll prefer the bathing to the general dressing up, so you might as well prolong the process as much as possible."

Daine grinned. "You know me well."

The general dressing up was certainly not an enjoyable process, but it wasn't nearly so painful as it might have been. Though Thayet certainly knew the value of a good dress and the judicious use of a little face-paint around the eyes and lips, she was also a woman accustomed to movement and anticipated what Daine did and didn't like. The dress was perhaps the greatest surprise. If she was perfectly honest, Daine had almost expected that the queen would want to give her a dress for her birthday. The gods knew she wasn't going to buy one for herself, and it was just the sort of kindness Thayet was known for.

She just hadn't expected it to be white.

"I'll get it dirty," she said immediately, fingering the soft cloth and the lacy edges. It was a beautiful dress, she knew, and the lavender accents helped it avoid looking bland.

"Nonsense," said Thayet. "You're not clumsy. And even if you do spill something on it, I hear that dragon of yours can magic it right out. It's a nice dress, Daine, and I think it will look lovely on you, if I say so myself. You look good in white, though the only time I see you wear it is when you're working in a shirt and breeches, and you can always use a new dress. Now try it on."

Daine had been a little afraid that she might look like a bride – or an egg – but her fears disappeared when she put the dress on and saw herself in the mirror. The two embroidered lavender panels on the skirt drew the eye up to her waist, the neckline drew down in a soft v that sparkled with silver ribbons, and the sleeves were full and capped with lace.

"The latest fashion," said the queen with a smile. "Only the best for our wild mage."

Daine's hair was meticulously combed by a maid (at least I don't have to do it, she thought) and was tied and braided up into sections with silver and lavender ribbons. She didn't even try to understand the process, just nodded her head happily at the result. After letting Thayet dab a little color on her lips and line her eyes, she was ready to go.

"Don't break too many hearts," said Thayet, turning to her own dress. "Do you want to wait for me, or do you want to go down now?"

"Numair said he would come get me," said Daine.

Thayet raised an eyebrow. "Did he really? Well, I expect he's at the door, then. Remember what I said, though, Daine, about not breaking too many hearts!"

"Thank you, Thayet, for the dress and helping me look put-together," Daine said, "you're the best queen I could ask for."

"Go on, now," said Thayet, grinning. "Numair awaits you."

Numair was waiting outside the door as predicted. He straightened to his considerable height when Daine opened the door and bowed to her, as properly as he would to any court lady. He didn't really look at her until he had straightened back up, and when he did, he paused for a long moment. Something raced through his eyes – some spark of emotion Daine didn't understand. He cleared his throat.

"You look beautiful, Daine."

She smiled. "It was Thayet."

He shook his head slightly. "The queen is hardly responsible for natural beauty. As much of it as she has herself, she can hardly hand it out to people at will. You've grown up somehow without my noticing it, and I'm very lucky that the new Daine Sarrasri still puts up with her old teacher." He paused and cleared his throat. "I just wanted to say that, well, no matter what you end up doing these next few years and whatever undeserving person ends up taking your heart, I'll be here if you need me. You have such an incredible future ahead of you, and I'll be proud just to step back and watch you shine."

Tears sprung ready to Daine's eyes, and her throat ached at the thought. She took a moment to steady her voice. "Numair," she said, "you're being ridiculous. Right now the only thing I see in my future is fighting immortals with you and being made fun of by Onua and Alanna. You're my best friend. You have been almost since I came to Tortall. I'm not about to give up on that."

One side of Numair's mouth twisted into a smile. "Yes, we are friends, aren't we?" He offered her his arm. "Now come along, we shouldn't be late to your party."

It was a lovely party, even Daine had to admit it. Everyone talked and laughed, and some even danced, and for a few hours the inevitable fear and worry that lurked behind the eyes of everyone in the Tortallan court retreated just a little further. Daine was very thankful that none of the "nice" knights that Thayet had promised seemed interested in anything other than talking about how good she was with a bow. She had Perin to think about, after all.

They made her open gifts in front of everybody so they could all exclaim over everything. The king and queen gave her a solemn promise that they would have the stables expanded to get rid of some of the current problems, Alanna gave her a book on the anatomy of animals in the Yamani islands (and, later and more privately, a pregnancy charm), Onua gave her a new bag, and Numair, looking very strange, gave her a beautiful new quiver and a blanket for Cloud. For some reason, this last gift got very amused reactions from Alanna and Thayet, but Daine paid them no mind. She thought that everything was perfect.

At the end of the night, it was just a few of them left, helping the servants clean up and chatting absently. Alanna and Thayet were in one corner, giggling about something or other, and the servants were cleaning around Jon, who had fallen asleep in a chair. Numair and Daine put decorations away and spoke to each other quietly. She was filled with the sleepy contentedness that comes after a good time has ended but before the rest of life has had a chance to renew its attack.

Before Daine headed to bed, she bumped Numair's side with her shoulder. "Thanks for the new quiver," she said. "Mine was falling apart."

"I know," he said, with a little smile.

"And Cloud's going to love that you're trying to bribe her with a new blanket."

"Oh, magelet," he sighed, "I have no illusions on that front. Cloud will continue to make fun of me until the end of time."

"Well," Daine said, "so long as you're clear on that."

"Always." He paused. "Goodnight, Daine, and – happy birthday."

She smiled up at him – her teacher and best friend – and thought somewhat sleepily that it had been a happy day indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

[AN: This is a bit of a bonus portion from the last chapter. Alanna is just too much fun.]

Alanna crossed her arms in front of her chest and grinned as cheekily as she could. The intended effect occurred instantaneously: the tall man in front of her practically drooped.

"Just say it," she advised him. "It'll make your life easier."

Numair grimaced. "I have no doubt that it would, but can't you just help me? What are you getting her?"

"A book. On healing." Alanna raised a finger. "But you can't get her a book because you're always giving her books. I think technically she owns a quarter of your library by now."

"Well, not of my whole library. She's barely even started on my collection in the tower… But that's not the point. Not even a special book? Like… with a fancy cover or something?" Numair cringed even as he spoke. "Never mind, you're right. I can't get her a book. That would be ridiculous."

Alanna flung herself onto a stuffed chair and glanced at his desk. "Why don't you get her that?"

Numair followed her gaze to the small jewelry box and swore in several languages at once. "I don't know what that is," he said automatically.

"I can't believe you escaped Ozorne's court, with your inability to lie." Alanna reached out and grabbed the box, just beating Numair's hand. "Hmm," she said, admiring the box, "I know this jeweler. Very good quality. Jon gets jewelry for Thayet here sometimes." She opened the box to reveal a delicate silver charm in the shape of a book with a small blue stone embedded in the middle. When Alanna turned it over, she saw that it had a letter "D" engraved on the back. Numair, who was hovering behind her protesting feebly throughout all of this, groaned when he saw the letter.

"I forgot about that," he said. "I don't suppose I could convince you that it's for a good friend of mine named… Deonne, who you've never met?"

Alanna was still fingering the charm thoughtfully. "There's no chain." At Numair's sigh, Alanna turned around to see the mage striving desperately to hide a blush.

"Well," he said, "back when I thought that this might be an appropriate gift, I, ah, spent some time making sure that the charm, when attached, would stay with the badger claw she wears around her neck."

Alanna raised her eyebrows. "You couldn't have just given her a chain? That's complicated magic. And more importantly, for you, that's delicate magic."

Even Numair's ears were red. He snatched the box back and held out his hand for the charm. "I managed."

Alanna handed the charm back. "Why, might I ask, do you say that you no longer think that this is an appropriate gift? It's very thoughtful, and I have no doubt that Daine would be very pleased with it."

"You know why I can't give her a necklace charm! I'm her teacher, and she's my young and female student. It wouldn't be… proper."

"You gave her earrings a few years ago, and nobody thought it was improper."

"She was thirteen then! Even some of the conservatives weren't whispering about yet. She's grown up now, Alanna. She's a young lady, and things are different."

"But they weren't when you bought this. And spent hours and hours devising a charm to work with a god's magic. What's changed since then?"

He sighed. "I realized."

She cocked an eyebrow in the hope that he would elaborate a bit, but he had hit the heart of the matter and shook his head at her.

"I'm not going to say it," he said, sinking into the chair next to her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I hope you know that you're denying an old woman a wonderful piece of amusement."

Numair shook his head. "It's not funny, Alanna. And you know I can't say it. The instant I say it, it becomes real, and that can never happen." He took a deep breath. "It's best not to think about it."

"You know," Alanna said casually, "I noticed that Daine's quiver is falling apart. I bet she'd appreciate a new one."

Hope dawned in his face. "Alanna, you're a lifesaver. I knew you would help me."

She shrugged. "I just don't want Daine to be stuck in the field with subpar equipment. A girl needs her gear."

"Yes," he sighed. "I'll get her a lovely quiver. How appropriate." He made a face. "And something for Cloud, too. You never know, she might stop hating me. Alanna, in all seriousness, thank you so much."

Alanna got up to go, patting him on the shoulder on her way. "You never know, Numair. Perhaps someday you'll be in a situation where it's appropriate to give her that charm. I wouldn't throw it away just yet."


	4. Chapter 4

"George."

"Alanna."

" _Please_ tell me that you are not planning a surprise party."

From his seat next to her, Alanna's husband raised a brow. "I would never dare."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious, George. Just because you're great at lying, don't think that you can get away with something like that."

"Might I ask," replied George, "what it is about the possibility of a surprise party that disgusts you so?"

"So you are throwing a party!"

"I'm not. You'll see, lass. Tomorrow I'll be tied to your side. But why would it bother you?"

She crossed her arms. "It just would. We don't usually celebrate it, so why would we this year?"

George chuckled. "Usually, you're at one end of the country or another. This year you are at the palace with all of our friends, and what's more, I'm here too, which is rare in and of itself. Do you expect everyone to just slide around you all day saying nothing?"

Alanna opened her mouth. Closed it. Then, shaking her head, she said, "I'm being foolish, I suppose. It's just that I don't want to remind Jon…"

"Remind him…?"

"How old I am."

Her husband opened his mouth to tell her how ridiculous that was, but he saw her face before he could and chose his words more carefully. "And why would that be a particularly bad thing? Jon's older than you are, you know."

"Yes, but he's not the Champion." She looked at him unhappily, and he saw the full depths of her conflict in her purple eyes. "I'm old, now, and slower than I was, and my body _aches_ most days, and someday I'm going to lose a fight. I want to resign before then, of course, but I just keep thinking that I can take it a little longer."

George scooted next to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her. "Are you afraid that he'll wake up one day and think, 'Alanna's too old, I think I'll start a civil war by trying to make her do something she doesn't want to'? Because that seems a tad unlikely to me."

She gave him half a smile. "He wouldn't dare. But if he did, he'd be right. I'm turning fifty tomorrow, George. Fifty! I should probably be dead by now."

"Hey now! If you should be dead, I'm years in the grave."

"You don't have to duel people."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "I just have to keep track of all the information in the kingdom and beyond. Not to mention keeping up with you."

"Well, I can't speak for your other business, but you do the latter tolerably well, I suppose."

George grinned and leaned in to kiss his wife. "I try to improve every day."

Alanna found, with some suspicion, that George had been absolutely right. He stuck to her side in a decidedly unsuspicious way from the time she woke up (admittedly late) through weapons practice, a meeting with the king and his advisors, and even followed her to their rooms in the palace for an afternoon nap, a new habit of hers. Though he would not sleep, he was reading on the other side of the bed when she woke up. She glared at him, only half-awake.

He twitched an eye at her. "What?"

"You really didn't plan me a party."

"Do you want me to have?"

"No."

"Good, because I didn't. Do you want to come for a walk with me before dinner?"

"No."

He smiled at her sweetly. "Will you anyway?"

"You're lucky I love you."

"Yes." He was not fighting a grin. Alanna found this suspicious. George always grinned.

"Come on," he said. "The sunset is bound to be beautiful today."

And he took her hand and led her out the door.

"Surprise!"

Alanna blinked. Thayet grinned. So did the other dozen people behind her. Alanna turned on George, indignant.

"You promised!"

Now he was grinning. "I didn't organize it, lass. It was all her idea."

"Happy birthday, Alanna," said Thayet. "We have presents and good food!"

Alanna shook her head at the two of them, and at the assembled friends behind Thayet. "This is ridiculous." Seeing Thayet's knowing smile, she said grudgingly, "but thank you all for thinking of me, it's very kind of you."

"Presents," said her friend, grabbing her by the wrist, "then you can yell at all of us."

The food was good, the presents were, for the most part, funny, and the conversation was wonderful. Alanna hadn't had a chance to catch up with people since she had returned to Corus, and a whole evening devoted to such talk, though she might have hated it in her youth, was the best kind of present.

"How did you know I really needed a party?" she asked George.

He smiled. "You were so concerned with not having one that I thought I had better have a backup plan just in case. It only took a word to Thayet to guarantee the whole thing would play out satisfactorily."

She bumped his arm with her shoulder. "I hate that I love you."

"You're about to hate me even more."

"What?"

He put his hands to his mouth and whistled. "Everybody! Let's have the birthday woman give us a speech!"

"Gods help me," she muttered, "I will kill you." She stood up as applause burst from around the room and paused to take in her friends' faces. Daine and Numair, without their children but still looking characteristically exhausted, Gary, Raoul and Buri, holding hands, Thayet, Thom, even Keladry, who was on a fortunate leave, and many other people who had been with her for many, many years. Alan and Aly had even sent letters. Jon she saw last. He sat in a corner of the room, half-hidden, as he liked to be when he relaxed. He felt her eyes on him and looked up, bright blue eyes meeting soft purple. His wry half smile convinced her that she knew what to say.

"Friends," she said, "thank you all so much for helping me celebrate my fiftieth birthday. As you all may be aware, I'm now old. Some of you are too." She looked pointedly at Gary, Raoul, and Jon. "You've all helped make my fifty years, more than half of them as King's Champion, wonderful. But it's soon going to be time for a new way of things. I will be submitting my resignation as King's Champion and hope to retire at the end of this year. It's time for someone else to keep the nation safe. And besides, George clearly can't be trusted, and now I know better than to put any of you lot in charge of watching him!"


End file.
